Whitaker Scholars

Rice University and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management have committed to provide full tuition scholarships for up to two Rice benefits-eligible staff members at any point in time in the MBA for Professionals or the MBA for Executives program.  One scholarship will be awarded per year.  The Whitaker Scholars program is named for Dr. Gilbert Whitaker, and we hope to select the first Whitaker Scholar in spring of 2007.

Selection Criteria

The Whitaker Scholars program recognizes the importance Rice places in investing in the development of high potential staff and in the important contribution that a Rice MBA can make in that development. The following are minimum criteria to qualify for the Whitaker Scholars scholarship:

• The applicant must be admitted to and enrolled as a student in the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management during the semester for which they apply. 
• The applicant must be a full-time, benefits eligible employee of Rice University for at least six continuous months prior to the semester for which they apply.
• The applicant must agree to a minimum 2-year commitment to remain employed at Rice University after graduation from the MBA program.  The recipient will sign an agreement stating the explicit terms of repayment should this requirement not be met.
• The applicant must have direct supervision of projects and/or other employees at Rice, or be in a position at Rice that requires knowledge of business and/or financial principles.
• The applicant must have a recommendation from their dean, vice provost, vice president or other senior administrator attesting to the value of the applicant’s current contribution to Rice, the potential value of an MBA to the success of their future career at Rice, and the willingness of the senior administrator to recommend the applicant for future positions at Rice in other departments of the university.  In addition, the senior administrator must indicate support of the potential time off required from their Rice responsibilities while pursuing the MBA.
• The applicant must submit a statement of how the MBA will not only help him or her achieve individual goals, but also how the education will benefit Rice now and in the future.   

Any employee awarded a Whitaker Scholars scholarship must maintain a minimum of a “B” average to keep the scholarship and be continuously enrolled in a full-time basis in the program (as defined by the program), and the employee must maintain current job performance levels.  The scholarship will remain in place for the normal length of the program for which the employee is enrolled (recipients do not need to re-apply each semester).  Additional semesters of study (beyond the normal length of study) will be paid by the staff member.

The Whitaker Scholars program is considered part of Rice's tuition reimbursement offering (University Policy No. 432).  As such, Whitaker Scholar recipients should not apply for reimbursement for this or any other tuition program applying toward their period of study at Rice.  The Whitaker Scholars program does not pay for international study abroad programs or other optional experiences or areas of study.

Deadlines

For the 2007/2008 school year, applicants must apply to the MBA for Executives or the MBA for Professionals program by the second (2nd) decision round.  The full calendar of deadlines can be found online.

Applying to Whitaker Scholars Program

Additional application materials as noted above should be submitted to Elaine Britt in Human Resources within two weeks of the application deadline for the Jones School.  This includes a letter from the applicant describing:

• how attendance at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and completion of the MBA degree will be of value to both the applicant and to Rice;
• how his or her current position meets the selection criteria for the program;
• a willingness to commit to a minimum of two years of employment at Rice after completion of the MBA degree; and
• a letter of recommendation from the dean, vice provost, vice president or other senior administrator.

Selection Process

An awards committee comprised of leaders in the Rice community will select the recipient of the Whitaker Scholars scholarship.  Any applicants not selected may postpone their enrollment and re-apply the following year.

Whitaker Scholar recipients will be notified by a member of the awards committee.

Please direct any questions about the Whitaker Scholars to Elaine Britt.